September 29, 2020 – It appears high school football will remain a spring sport this season. Governor J.B. Pritzker said he has not been talking with the Illinois High School Association about moving football up to this fall, but it is the state public health officials who made the call, not him. “It is doctors and epidemiologists that are leading the way here,” said Pritzker. “It is what I have done all along in this pandemic. I think it’s one of the reasons we have one of the lowest positivity rates in the Midwest.” Illinois High School Association executive director Craig Anderson sent the governor’s office a letter requesting permission to allow the IHSA to govern its sports and a timetable to return.
Minnesota recently voted to restart football, making Illinois the only state in the Midwest that won’t have high school football this fall. Some parents and athletes have had enough. A class-action lawsuit is being filed this week in DuPage County against the Illinois High School Association seeking for all fall sports around the state to resume. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs plan to seek a temporary restraining order against the state’s order to cancel most fall sports, including football, soccer, and volleyball.
A judge is expected to hear the case on Wednesday.
